Have you been scared by ‘IT’?

If you’ve ever watched the horror movie It, you’ll know that there’s nothing as scary as finding a killer clown in a storm drain! The scene where Georgie loses his boat in the gushing rainwater, only to be retrieved by a creepy drain-dwelling clown has given millions nightmares since the story was written by Stephen King in 1986.

Here are some facts about the book and the films that have followed that you might not know:

• Not Clowning Around

Pennywise the evil clown is not really a clown at all. It is an ancient evil entity that can shapeshift into any form that scares people the most. It appeared as a clown purely to entice the children, who are quite often afraid of clowns. What would it appear like to you? A giant spider or your mother in law?

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• Inspired by Mcdonalds

Have you ever thought that Ronald McDonald was more than a little creepy? Stephen King has confirmed that the evil shapeshifter’s clown disguise was not inspired by serial killer John Gacy but in fact, McDonald’s mascot Ronald McDonald.

• Terrified of drains

The horrifying scene where Georgie meets Pennywise in the drain has been terrifying audiences for decades. Thankfully, the worst most of us will find in our drains is some clogging of tree roots or items flushed that shouldn’t have been. If you suspect you have a damaged or blocked pipe, consider the benefits of Drain Lining. You can get Drain lining surveys through Wilkinson Environmental although they won’t help you with clowns!

• Turtle Power?

The arch enemy of Pennywise is actually a turtle. The turtle character is from another one of King’s books and is known as the Maturin who created our universe. ‘It’ and the turtle are locked in an eternal battle against each other, creation versus consumption. And you thought it was just a film about a scary clown!

• Set to return

At the end of the 2019 film, viewers think that Pennywise has been vanquished. However, there have been hints that the franchise is set to return for future instalments featuring the evil entity so maybe the ‘Losers Club’ didn’t kill him after all!

• Taking the part seriously

When Bill Skarsgard took on the role of Pennywise for the 2017 adaptation, he wanted to immerse himself into the part but only had 10 days to prepare. He read the book and watched the previous TV drama and decided to not let the child actors meet him prior to filming. That way the children would show genuine fear as they would know him only as Pennywise and not Bill.

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• Fear of clowns

The real life phobia of clowns is called Coulrophobia. The 1990 TV adaptation of the book has been blamed for a sudden spike in coulrophobia and many people, when asked, will cite Pennywise as the reason for their hatred of clowns.

• Big appetite

As an eater of worlds, It can eat anything but his preference is for children, especially when they are scared as they taste better. This truly is the stuff of nightmares! Stephen King probably had a few sleepless nights himself while writing this story.